Daryl Slade has provided a complete statistical and factual history of the Calgary Stampeders Football Team, season by season, in his book Stampeders…the Years of the Horse, selfpublished.
CFRS member Joe Cronin of Sacramento, California has said, “It’s difficult to find the early statistics on the Canadian Football League, but Daryl Slade has done it. They are all there.”
In addition, for every season, Daryl has provided photographs for notable players. Frequently, there are team pictures. As a result, the reader can discover numerous surprising pieces of information in the “Did you know?” category. Such as:
- Minnesota Vikings General Manager Jim Finks was the Calgary quarterback for the 1957 season and became Calgary’s General Manager that year.
- U.S. Presidential candidate Jack Kemp was on the Calgary Stampeders pre-season team in 1959, before he went on to his AFL Buffalo Bills quarterback career.
- UCLA quarterback Ronnie Knox, the “Golden Boy,” who is better known as the Toronto Argonauts quarterback in the late 1950s, actually played six games with Calgary in 1956, with 782 yards passing.
- Earl Lunsford put up huge rushing yardage numbers over several seasons for teams with losing records.
The book can be used to supplement the memories and experiences of Calgary and CFL fans. The story of the 1948 Grey team, which went undefeated all season, is recounted. That set a standard, which has not been equalled.
The Grey Cup winning seasons of 1992 and 1998, and the prodigious passing performances of quarterbacks Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia can be re-lived.
The book is an excellent summary of events and a reference for additional research. The season-by-season format allows the reader the opportunity to read quick excerpts, or to
follow how the team did during the career of a favourite player.
Stampeders…The Years of the Horse is a valuable book to have. The photographs, statistics, and history provide quick satisfaction for a reader. That experience can repeated for every Calgary Stampeder season.
Sunday, 15 November 2009
By: Lenard Kotylo